‘Iron Pillar’ Kim Min-jae (27, Napoli) has again rejected the club’s request to remove his buyout clause. He has clearly communicated his intention to transfer.
“Napoli defender Kim Min-jae has rejected the club’s request to remove the buyout clause from his contract and sign a new one,” Italy’s La Repubblica reported on Wednesday (June 12).
In the end, Kim used his buyout clause this summer to leave Napoli and find a new home. The outlet also emphasized that “Kim has decided on his future” and accepted the move as a foregone conclusion.
Kim joined Napoli from Fenerbahçe (Turkkiye) last summer. He signed a 3+2 year contract at the time, but added a buyout clause that allowed him to negotiate with the club between July 1 and 15 of this summer, with a buyout amount of €60 million (approximately KRW 831 million).
This buyout clause opened the door for Kim. Manchester United, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and other big clubs were in the running to sign Kim.
Kim proved his worth in Serie A, the UEFA Champions League, and the FIFA World Cup Qatar, where he led Napoli to the top of the Italian Serie A after 33 years and was named the Serie A’s best defender.
When he joined Napoli, Kim was an unheralded defender who didn’t get much attention. But he proved himself and increased his value. His transfer fee of €18 million has tripled, and big clubs like Manchester United are bidding for his signature.
United are the most aggressive. Manager Eric ten Haag is looking to rebuild his team and wants to add more strength to his defense with Rafael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.먹튀검증
“United are ready to offer Kim the kind of weekly wages that big-name strikers are paid,” French publication Foot Mercato reported, citing a source as saying, “This would naturally be very attractive to Kim.” This is how active United are in their pursuit of Kim.
The clubs that want him are moving quickly to get a head start, even before the transfer window opens in earnest. But Kim is taking it easy. First, he needs to clear his military service benefits, which he received after winning a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang.
There’s still time before July 1, when his buyout clause can be triggered, so he’ll be taking a close look at the terms of each club’s offer. For now, Kim is said to want a Premier League club and a Champions League team.